


Draped In Sun

by Lobotomite



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F, First Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-24 07:55:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9712325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lobotomite/pseuds/Lobotomite
Summary: Liv has never been as close to someone as this.





	

Liv has always hated school. She’s not brilliant at the work, but it's not like she's an idiot or anything. She can do it, if she's in the mood for it, but trying to force herself to do things she doesn't feel like doing is an exercise in frustration, so she ends up doing other things to entertain herself, then gets in trouble for not paying attention and acting out. It’s not like she wants to get in trouble. She hates that her mum’s anger at learning of detentions and failed assignments had turned to weary acceptance, but she can't help it. No matter how many times she sits in tears in her room and firmly tells herself she’s going to do better from now on, when it comes time to do the work her brain short circuits and she’s right back in detention again

It’s the people that are the worst, though. Her teachers are always frustrated with her, and interactions with her peers never go how she wants them to, to the extent that she’s largely just given up on doing anything other than avoiding (or sometimes goading) the nastier ones. She just doesn’t know how to act around people. Well, sure, she knows the basic scripts, even if she ignores them sometimes: hello, how are you, yes please, no thank you, all of those little stock phrases for getting through basic interactions. Veer off script, though, and suddenly what she’s saying is getting her weird looks, getting her called a freak. Sometimes her mouth just doesn’t work and she’s letting silences drag on in ways that she doesn’t even really realise are awkward until after the other person has already left.

Of course, none of her difficulties in making friends is helped by how often her mum decides to move her around; she’s not just the freak who always says the wrong thing, she’s the _new_ freak who always says the wrong thing. She’d expected the exact same thing, moving to Emmerdale. She’d already come to terms with it, and it would still be better than moving to a country where her accent would be another strike against her, another way she’s different.

But then she met Gabby.

From the very first, she’d had been slightly in awe of her – attractive in a way Liv had never even bothered to strive for, confident and friendly enough to make a contribution to a conversation she wasn’t a part of. And then inviting herself to an outing with Liv – she wasn’t used to people _wanting_ to be around her, let alone inviting themselves on a shopping trip. It had been a genuinely good time, too. Liv had been worried that Gabby was using her to get out of the village, and would ditch her once she was in town or try to scab money off her, but Gabby led her around town, showing her all the best shops and encouraging her to try on things, never trying to get anything off Liv but helping her get the best deals with the money Aaron had given her.

More than that, Gabby had seemed like she genuinely enjoyed her time with her; Liv wasn’t any good at fashion or make up or any of the stuff that Gabby seemed to enjoy, but she had just smiled whenever Liv didn’t know what was going on and had cheerfully shown her the basics of what she knew. She didn’t push when Liv had trouble getting words out, appearing content to walk quietly beside her or fill the silence herself, and yeah, sometimes she laughed at something Liv said that she hadn’t thought was funny. It wasn’t like when the other kids did it, though; it felt like even as it was _at_ Liv, it was including her, as well, inviting her in on the joke she hadn’t known she’d made.

She’d hunted for information a bit, after that, asking Aaron about her, and when she’d found out about what Gabby was going through she was even more impressed. That Gabby could be so bright and nice to a stranger when she was going through all of that shit with her dad, when Liv had trouble being nice and cheerful at the best of times, made her want to get to know her properly.

Of course Aaron also told her, vaguely, that Gabby had been “getting in a bit of trouble lately”, but that just made her more interesting. It hadn’t taken long for Gabby to prove it, either, giving Liv the mischievous look that would quickly become deeply familiar, keen to take advantage of her... Gordon’s, empty house. She was completely speaking Liv’s language with that idea, both a way to lash out at the man who was meant to be her father and just make a bit of trouble. Granted, she was a lot more hopeful about their impromptu party having a positive effect on Liv’s popularity than Liv was, but that in itself was endearing.

Of course, they didn’t end up getting away with their little plan, but really, that had never been the goal. It didn’t do anything for Liv’s popularity either. She never cared about that, though. What she did care about was that after that, Gabby had properly gotten past their wobble over Jacob.

The main fallout from that little mix up (because it absolutely had been – Jacob was nice but absolutely not her type) hadn’t lasted all that long. By the time Liv was in school properly Gabby was perfectly friendly towards her again, volunteering to show Liv around, sitting next to her in class and pulling her towards Gabby’s usual table during breaks.

It was after that escapade that they’d really started to have fun. Covert attacks against up themselves students, less covert protests against the indignity of detention, Gabby seemed to have chosen Liv as her partner in crime, and Liv couldn’t be happier.

Gabby has cooled down a bit, now, eager to get home to her family and therefore less ready to land herself (and Liv, by extension) in detention after school. They both race out at the first ring of the bell instead of dragging their feet to the detention room, shoving their way unashamedly through the crowds so they get on the bus as soon as possible.

There’s actually not that many kids on the bus that goes to Emmerdale, so it’s not like they’re going to miss out on much by not being the first on, but it’s the principle of the thing. This way they get _their_ seats.

The fact that she has a routine with someone else, with _Gabby_ , is still exhilarating, still makes her look forward to the journey home as much as arriving there.

Today is just like any other day after school lets out; shove their way to their rightful seats on the bus, then hopping off at the Emmerdale stop and heading towards Liv’s new home.

They reach the Woolpack doors quickly, pausing in front of them. Liv tilts her head toward the pub and gives Gabby a hopeful smile.

“Want to come in for a bit?”

Gabby hesitates for a second, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear and looking down the road towards her house, then shakes her head.

“Nah, I think I’m gonna head straight home today. I’ll text you though, yeah?”

“Yeah, cool,” Liv says, forcing a smile. The disappointment that makes her feel is frustrating. Of course Gabby wants to spend a lot of time with her family right now, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to spend time with Liv. “Let me know when you get home,” she prompts when Gabby seems to be scrutinising her, hoping that her disappointment isn’t showing on her face. She doesn’t want to make Gabby feel like Liv wants her to choose between her and her family.

That seems to make up Gabby’s mind, and she gives Liv a bright smile. And then she leans forward and presses a delicate kiss to Liv’s mouth.

“Bye!” Gabby chirps, face pink and smile slightly flustered, and she’s long gone down the road before Liv can force her brain to start functioning again and do anything but stand slack-jawed in the doorway. Heat floods her all in a rush as she starts to process what just happened, and she bites her lip, trying to contain the broad smile appearing on her face.

She feels like she did the times she and Gabby had snuck away with pilfered bottles of alcohol, warm and bright and giddy, this time fuelled not by the sour taste of alcohol but by the lingering taste of Gabby’s lip gloss and the phantom press of her lips.

She simultaneously wants to shout what just happened from the rooftops – _Gabby Thomas kissed me!_ \- and keep the knowledge tucked against her chest, a precious secret between them. She settles on spinning around and racing through the back room of the Woolpack – thankfully empty of anybody to hold her up – and up the stairs to her room, flinging the door closed behind her. Her bag is dropped carelessly onto the floor, and she curls up on her bed, phone cradled in her hands, chewing her lip as she waits for Gabby to tell her she’s gotten home safe.

_Gabby kissed me,_ she thinks giddily. Gabby kissed her, and it felt good, and right, and she wants to do it again.

For once, Liv’s pretty sure things are going to go her way.


End file.
